I saw in other post this comment from a user
I for one typically ride at speeds between 28 - 34 km/s making the system worse than useless - past 30km/s it's really making it's added weight and drag (this system cannot free-wheel) felt, therefore, Bionx in effect makes me slower.
I must say I face the same situation as this rider and I was wondering if my and his conception of the system was wrong.
Is this what will happen with a BionX system?
There is not too much hill around here and the distance I ride are about 25-35km / day. I was thinking about the PL-250.
How can you tell if you get a PRE 2009 or a 2009 system?
Thanks for your help and infos.
Claude Ferron
If you are comfortable riding at 32km/s under your own power with an efficient road bike, the BionX probably is not a good match. However, I can now ride my MTB easily averaging at ~17-18mph for long stretches, where i would previously have been going at 9-11mph and getting hot/tired. The BionX could help you with stop/start accelerations, but it's most noticeable for making 16-20mph speeds easy. I might be able to go faster, but my bike is currently limited in top end gearing (42:14), so I max out around 18-19mph.
I think all of the 2009 systems have the black consoles. But I'm not convinced there's anything wrong with the newer systems... that's what I have.
Warren.
The BionX User Guide states the following:
The BionX system was developed so that riders can, if they want, ride at 20 to 25 km/hr whilst only spending the energy of a 4-5 km/hr walk, i.e. approximately 40 to 60 watts depending on their weight.
The recommended RPM is +/- 60, i.e. one pedal rotation per second, which is approximately the same sequence as a walker.
I have a new PL350 and I have had the same experience as vancamp. My gearing is a bit different and on the flat, with no wind, I average between 20 and 25 km/hr with very little effort. I too feel that I could cruise a bit faster by changing my top end gearing. The system is also limited to providing assistance up to a maximum of 32/km/hr.
My console is black and if I look at the lower left of the screen when I first turn it on, for a couple of seconds, I see "r Eu 3.8" which is the number of the software version.
I have a lot of hills in my area. I'm over 60 yrs old and in poor shape so I bought this system to get some exercise and fresh air while running errands around town. Being able to pedal up steep hills without getting my tongue caught in the chain is wonderful.I like the silent operation, especially when cruising along the many nature trails in this area. I also like the idea of not burning gasoline. I feel much safer having the motor slow me down on steep decents by using the "generation" feature. I find that 20 to 25 km/hr is fast enough for me.
If my only interest was speed, I would probably have gone back to what I did to fill my need for speed in my younger days (downhill skiing, motorcycles and skydiving).
the original quote is misleading and biased.
yes, it is true that the new BionX software will not continually provide assistance to you, once you are past 30ish Km/h
but if you hit the Throttle all "PL" version of the system has a Throttle, then you will continue to get assistance.
However, it's wasted battery power, as your own crank pedalling speed might even be faster than the BionX at that point.
In fact I'll say the new software have been programmed properly, unlike the older versions where it kept assisting even though it was no longer necessary, which for some people pedalling even faster they get that sensation of Engine drag, because of that.
So, the other part of the statement about No Free Wheeling is totally wrong.
As long as you have a 7, 8 or 9 speed Free wheel installed, your bike can still freewheel like any normal bike with a cassette system.
if you want to prevent any "engine break" on loooooooong downhills, just set assistance to Zero, then set it back to any level of assistance, when you are going back up hill.
Easy enough eh?